A Yellow God: an Idol of Africa eBook

CHAPTER IX

THE DAWN

Jeekie looked up and down the river and saw that in
the centre of it about half a mile away, there was
an island on which grew some trees.

“Little Bonsa will camp yonder,” he said.
“Go, make her house ready, light fire and bring
canoe to paddle us across. Now leave us, all of
you, for if you look too long upon the face of the
Yellow God she will ask a sacrifice, and it is not
lawful that you should see where she hides herself
away.”

At this saying the cannibals departed as one man,
and at top speed, some of the canoes and others to
warn their fellows who were engaged in the congenial
work of hunting and killing the dwarfs, not to dare
to approach the white man and his companion.
A third party ran to the bank of the river that was
opposite to the island to make ready as they had been
bidden, so that presently Alan and Jeekie were left
quite alone.

“Ah!” said Jeekie, with a gasp of satisfaction,
“that all right, everything arranged
quite comfortable. Thought Little Bonsa come out
top somehow and score off dirty dwarf monkeys. They
never get home to tea anyway—­stay and dine
with Ogula.”

“Stop chattering, Jeekie, and untie this infernal
mask, I am almost choked,” broke in Alan in
a hollow voice.

“Not say ‘infernal mask,’ Major,
say ‘face of angel.’ Little Bonsa
woman and like it better, also true, if on this occasion
only, for she save our skins,” said Jeekie as
he unknotted the thongs and reverently replaced the
fetish in its tin box. “My!” he added,
contemplating his master’s perspiring countenance,
“you blush like garden carrot; well, gold hot
wear in afternoon sun beneath Tropic of Cancer.
Now we walk on quietly and I tell you all I arrange
for night’s lodging and future progress of joint
expedition.”

So gathering together what remained of their few possessions,
they started leisurely down the slope towards the
island, and as they went Jeekie explained all that
had happened, since Ogula was not one of the African
languages with which Alan was acquainted and he had
only been able to understand a word here and there.

“Look,” said Jeekie when he had finished,
and turning, he pointed to the cannibals who were
driving the few survivors of the dwarfs before them
to the spot where their canoes were beached. “Those
dwarfs done for; capital business, forest road quite
safe to travel home by; Ogula best friends in world;
very remarkable escape from delicate situation.”